My Angel, My Love
by Alyssa625
Summary: A Kevin and Lucy story, but not the usual one. Please check it out and leave a review! :)
1. Default Chapter

Hi guys this is a new story of mine and of course it's something different because I don't like doing the usual Camden story. The Camden's are like normal people and aren't perfect, so in my stories they make mistakes too. Lucy won't be living here the whole story this is just where it starts out so please keep reading. This will be a Kevin and Lucy story so just bare with me to get through the starting information before Kevin is introduced.** Please leave a review I need at least 3 before I am going to write another chapter because I need to know if anyone even likes it.** :)

The city bus came to a stop and 21 year old Lucy Camden filed off with other passengers. It was dark and a bad neighborhood. Lucy began to walk down the street, holding her purse close to herself, keeping her eyes out for anything or anyone. This wasn't anything new to her. She had been getting off that bus almost everyday for over the past 4 years. It was in the middle of Detroit and she had to walk a few blocks every night to get home, if you would even call the place she slept a good home. She worked at a Walmart in one of the malls. The pay wasn't good, but she was able to pay rent and barely afford food. Then there was her two kids to support not to mention. Her boyfriend of almost five years, Logan, didn't work and sat at home all day with friends, getting high and drunk, even though he was supposed to be watching their kids.

Lucy could never forget the night she left her family. She now knew it was the worst mistake ever, and wanted to go back very bad, but couldn't afford to get there. She would try to save up money, but somehow it would always get spent, usually on Logan's drugs. She tried hiding it from him, but he always found it. Almost five years ago her and Logan had run away from their home town, Glenoak, when they found out he had gotten Lucy pregnant. Their parents weren't happy at all, but Annie and Eric were planning on getting through it, but Lucy ran away and they couldn't find her. Lucy and Logan had a 4 year old son named Dylan and a 2 ½ year old named Madison, which they called Maddy.

Lucy walked over to their trailer. Babies crying and gun shots could be heard. As she neared her trailer she could smell pot too and felt so bad that she had no other choice than to leave her kids with their father all day while she worked. She took a deep breath before entering the hell-hole. Logan sat on the couch with some buddies. Each had a beer in their hand and they were passing around a joint. That's where all their money was going. Logan was completely out of it. She scanned the room for her kids and knew they must be hiding in their room that they shared. They also shared a bed because Lucy couldn't afford to buy them one, so they shared the one built into the trailer.

"Get me a beer!" Logan yelled at Lucy as he laughed.

"Get it yourself." Lucy mumbled as she walked down the short hall to her kids' room. She could hear him complain and curse at her. Of course it was nothing new.

"Hey guys." Lucy said in a cheerful voice as she plastered on a smile, while she walked into her kids' room. Dylan was on the ground playing with his trucks. Maddy was in bed coloring. Logan did get the kids toys and clothes sometimes, he just never paid for them. It drove Lucy crazy that he wouldn't get a job so he could buy things instead of always stealing them. All he did all day was hang out with his "gang". Smoking, drinking, beating up other guys. He was in a gang with black and a few white people.

Every moment while she worked she though about her kids, if they were safe or not. If someone was driving by her trailer, with a gun, trying to shoot Logan, but instead missing and hitting one of her kids. Or if Logan would leave them home alone and they would wander out and get lost. If Lucy felt she really needed to, she would bring Dylan and Maddy to Mrs.Kezler's, a woman who owned a trailer not far from theirs. She was retired, but didn't get much so she lived in a trailer. She was nice and didn't mind watching the kids, no payment involved.

Maddy and Dylan looked up at Lucy smiling. They always felt much better when she got home, and much safer. Their dad would get in fights and there was always things thrown at the walls or screaming. Their parents fought a lot.

" Did Daddy feed you at all?" Lucy asked. Most parents wouldn't even need to ask a question like that, but it was a daily question Lucy asked her kids.

"No. We asked him to make something and he yelled at us to go back to our room." Dylan said.

"Again! I'm going to have to talk to him. I'll go make you guys something then you have to have a bath." Lucy said sighing.

"Ok." Both kids answered as Lucy left to go make something.

Not wanting to go back out into the kitchen that was attached to the living room, Lucy forced herself to.

She rummaged through cupboards, most which were empty.

"Logan where's all the food I bought two days ago?" Lucy yelled.

" We ate it. That's what it's for. Get me a beer while you're up." Logan stated simply.

"I buy the food to feed us and our kids, not just you and your friends. Your kids haven't eaten since I left this morning and they're starving." Lucy said as she grabbed the last beer in the fridge and threw it at him.

" My friends need to eat too. Sometimes they don't eat every day cause they can't afford to. Our kids at least eat in the morning you don't have to pamper them." Logan told her getting pissed.

" I never thought eating each meal would be pampering my kids. And if your friends want to eat then they can get jobs. Stop eating our food cause I can hardly afford that." Lucy said having a fight they had had many times.

" Whatever just stop complaining and throw Keandre a beer." Logan ordered her.

" Don't tell me what to do and there are no beer left. I thought you just got three cases this morning?"

" Yeah so they're gone now. Give me some money then we'll go pick some up guys." Logan told his friends.

"I don't have any money!" Lucy said raising her voice.

"Yeah right I know you do now give me some I just watched the kids all day." Logan said, like it was a job that involved pay.

"I have none." Lucy said again. She intended on keep saying it until he left her alone.

"Fine! We'll go over to Denai's she's having a party tonight I think. We can score some free booze there guys." Logan stood up and walked out of the trailer, his crew following him.

Lucy watched him walk away and then locked the door. Even with him home she didn't feel safe, but she knew he would beat someone up who tried to break in.

"Kids you can come out here." Lucy yelled to them. She popped a movie into their tv, another item stolen, and the kids sat on the couch. She opened the windows, trying to get the smoke smell gone, but it was impossible, because as soon as this was aired out it would be replaced by more. The only food she could manage to find was an old box of Kraft Dinner. She cooked it up and then noticed all their dishes were dirty. Dishes were the last thing on her list when she got home from work each night, so she had completely forgotten about them. She quickly washed two bowls and forks and dried them, then scooped Kraft dinner into each. With a cup of water each and a bowl of Kraft Dinner, the kids ate.

Lucy brought them into the bathroom after and ran the water. The bathtub filled up and she let them play for a short time then came to wash them up. She went to grab the bar of soap, when she noticed it had become a mere block. Soap was another thing to buy on her shopping list she thought. She washed the kids as best she could with the small bit of soap left. When they got out she let them finish watching their movie and they fell asleep on the couch. She carried them to their room. Now it was time to finish the dishes. She began to fill the sink up with water and waited for it to turn hot. It stayed cold. The hot water had been used up for the kids bath. She washed the dishes in cold water and then dried them and put them away. Before heading to bed she added soap to her list of things to get at the grocery store. Sinking into her bed, tears began to form in her eyes. She usually waited until she was in bed to begin crying away the stresses of the day and her life, but sometimes couldn't help it and broke down.

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	2. Mornings that Come too Soon

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The alarm clock went off way too early. Lucy felt as if she had only gotten an hour of sleep. She got up and jumped into the shower. The water was warm now. She was lucky to get a shower in that morning. Some mornings she had no time. She woke her kids up to feed them before she left. The only thing she could find to make them was toast. The bread was old and stale, but it would have to do. She buttered two pieces then through the empty margarine container in the piled high garbage. Another thing to buy at the store. She knew she would have to hide her money from Logan better this month, since there was a lot of things on the grocery list.

Logan had passed out on the couch and Lucy tried to awake him, but he refused to wake up. Frustrated, she threw her kids coats on. It was April and getting warmer out, but still cold. She grabbed her purse and hurried the kids over to Mrs. Kezler's.

"Thanks for watching them Betty." Lucy said as she hurried out of the trailer, kissing her kids bye.

Lucy spent a long day at work, dealing with unruly customers, coffee spills on her pants during her break, and bad kids. As her shift ended she remembered at that moment that she wouldn't be paid til next Friday. She ran her hands through her hair and fought back tears. More stress piled up. She took the bus to the stop near the food bank and grabbed some food. The owners knew her story, and let her take food even though she had a job. She got on the next bus and went home. Picking the kids up first from Mrs. Kezler's, she then went home. Smoke filled the trailer again, but Logan was out of site.

The kids had eaten at Mrs. Kezler's, but Lucy made them a little snack anyways before they brushed their teeth.

"Mom we're out of tooth paste." Jake said coming out of the bathroom. Lucy managed to squeeze a morsel out for each kid, but knew nothing else would come out. Another thing to get she thought. Using one of the bags she had gotten from the food bank, Lucy put some soup cans in it, two bananas, some juice boxes, two sandwiches she had put peanut butter on, and a container filled with assorted vegetables. She told the kids what was in it and hid it in the small closet in their room.

" Because Daddy never feeds you, I'm going to hide some food in here for you guys to eat. Try to make it last for tomorrow and the next day. I'm keeping the soup in here for tomorrow's supper. Who knows if the other food I left in the kitchen will be there tomorrow once your dad finds it.

It was getting late but Lucy made time to color a picture with Maddy and do a puzzle with Dylan. They only had a few books for bedtime stories, but she read them one that they had heard many times before anyways. She kissed them good night then went to bed. She was exhausted and didn't have the energy for anything else.

She got paid the following Friday and picked up soap, tooth paste, laundry soap which was now needed too and some groceries. What was left, other than bus change she would need and rent money, was 4 dollars.She hid that in a locked box she kept under the mattresse. There was only 20 dollars in it, because every time she tried to save more money, there was an expense needed to be paid. The next day she only had to work until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, so she brought the kids downtown to do laundry, and then they stopped off at the park.

Lucy was pushing Maddy in a swing and Dylan was climbing on the playground.

"Hey." a friendly voice said behind Lucy.

She turned around to see her friend Kevin. He was a police officer and they had met one time when Lucy had to go get Logan out of jail. They had been friends ever since and Lucy always told him her problems.

"Hey. What's up?" Lucy answered back.

"Not much I was patrolling the area and my break started. I thought I saw Dylan on the park then I noticed you so I came to say hi." Kevin said.

Lucy and Kevin continued to talk for a while more, but then both parted their ways as Kevin's break was over and Lucy wanted to get home.

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	3. Broken Glass

Hey guys thanks for all the reviews they really help! Sorry this chapter is short I'll update more tomorrow. Please R&R :)

Back at home she tried cleaning up the trailer, even though the next day it would be a mess again. She ironed some of the clothes and put them all away. Her small ironing board had been duck-taped back together in a couple of places and was ready for the dump. The kids helped her clean a bit, but once Logan returned home after a night away, they ran over to the couch and sat as far away from him as they could.

"Turn that damn tv off I have a bad hangover." Logan whined.

"Then go to bed. The kids can watch tv if they want to."

"Oh here we go again you trying to tell me what to do." Logan said irritably.

Lucy and Logan began yelling at each other. They were both yelling at the same time, so it was almost impossible to catch what they were saying. Maddy and Dylan hopped off the couch and squished into the crevice between the couch and wall, closing their eyes and blocking their ears. Even with their ears blocked they could still hear their parents screaming and bot h began to cry, not only because they were scared and tired of their parents fighting, but it also blocked out the yelling a bit more. A crash could be heard as Logan threw an empty beer bottle at the wall and it smashed to bits. Glass fell on the counter, sink and floor. They stopped fighting for a second, as Lucy was slightly scared.

"Now look what you made me do!" Logan yelled hoarsely at her.

Raising his hand up he slapped her across the face with force, and she stumbled back into the counter, crushing more glass with her feet. A big red mark was starting to appear on her cheek as she stood frozen, in fear. The kids had also stopped crying and looked up when they heard the beer bottle crash. Lucy's eyes wandered over to them for a second and saw the fright in their eyes. Guilt flowed through her. How could she do this to her kids. Logan shoved a stack of bills and papers off the counter along with Maddy's coloring book as he stormed out to their room and slammed the door. Maddy's coloring book fell opened to a blank page she had colored on herself. It had three people. Two kids, a boy and girl, and a women. Of course the drawing wasn't perfect. All stick like people. But you could tell the boys and girls apart because the girls had long hair. Maddy was quite the artist for such a young age. Maybe because she spent a lot of time during the day coloring and drawing. There wasn't lots to do while her and Dylan hid in their room all day.

Lucy stood against the counter, still frozen in fear, for a couple more seconds, breathing shallowly. Eventually she leaned down picking up the bills and papers off the ground. Tears escaped her eyes but she brushed them away quickly, hiding her face by keeping it down low. She placed the papers back on the counter and looked at her kids, who were peeking their faces over the couch. She held back tears as she went over to them and embraced them as all three of them cried. Both kids were adorable with blond hair and blue eyes, but if they continued to grow up like this, their eyes that sparkled now, would soon be cold and dead. They would turn to drugs and sex, and as much as Lucy tried, she wouldn't be able to stop them. She knew she had to get out of here...

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	4. A Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness

Hey guys I'll say it every time thanks for all the reviews! Makes my day. Anyways here's the next chapter please R&R. :)

Another week had passed and Kevin had invited Lucy, Dylan and Maddy over to his apartment for dinner. Lucy wasn't off work often so he liked to have dinner when they could. They had finished eating dinner and the kids were on Kevin's couch watching tv. Lucy was helping Kevin with the dishes. She rolled up her sleeves to stick her hands in the water to begin washing when Kevin stopped her.

"What's this?" Kevin said seriously, pointing to a bruise on Lucy's arm. Not one you get when you accidentally hit your arm on something, but one in the shape of finger prints.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Lucy said pulling her arm away and began washing.

"No it's not nothing Kevin said and he pulled her arm out of the water to inspect her arm better.

"Luce, it's in the shape of fingerprints. Did Logan do this to you?" Kevin said in a more gentle voice. Lucy stayed quiet for a few seconds, looking down.

"Yeah. It's no big deal though. It's not the first time." Lucy said and then again pulled her arm away.

"No big deal! Luce it's abuse. He can't be doing this to you. Don't think for any reason that you deserve it if he's trying to make you think that. I'll kick his a-" Kevin stopped mid word as he looked over at Maddy and Dylan.

"I'll hurt him way worse I should say." Kevin decided to say instead.

" No Kevin don't! Just don't get involved." Lucy said, worry in her eyes, knowing she would get it worse from Logan once Kevin did something to him.

"I can't let him keep doing this to you! Has he ever touched the kids?" Kevin questioned her.

"He hasn't touched the kids." Lucy answered.

"Yet. If he's willing to hurt you, he could be just as vulnerable to hurt them. He might hurt them during the day and you would never know. He might threaten them so they won't tell you." Kevin said, filling Lucy's mind with one of the most horrible thoughts.

Lucy asked Kevin to just drop the subject for now, but Kevin made her promise to tell him if Logan touched her again. The kids had both fallen asleep on the couch and Lucy asked Kevin if he could drive them home now.

"I want to tell you something first." Kevin said.

"Ok." Lucy said a bit curious and confused.

"I got a job transfer. I'm moving."

Lucy didn't know what to say at first. She was happy for Kevin in a way, but would really miss him. He was one of her good friends.

"Oh. When?" was all Lucy could manage to think of to say.

" In about 3 weeks. I let my landlord know that I'll be moving out, and of course my boss knows I'm leaving." Kevin replied.

" Where are you being transferred?" Lucy asked, hoping it wouldn't be really far away.

"It's a little town back in California, you probably haven't heard of it before. It's called Glenoak." Kevin said. Lucy had told him she was from California, but all she told him was a town a bit south of Los Angeles, assuming he wouldn't know the town either.

" Glenoak?" Lucy said, her jaw dropping.

" Yeah, you've heard of it?" Kevin asked surprised.

"Heard of it, that's where I used to live." Lucy said.

" Really! Wow I never knew that. Should have asked more questions when we first met." Kevin said as he laughed a little. Lucy sat back and zoned out for a moment thinking of her parents, wishing she could reunite with them. Kevin broke her thoughts.

" I know this is kind of a bit out there, but come with me." Kevin asked her.

" Oh Kevin, I couldn't, I mean I want to go home, but the kids and then Logan and.." Lucy trailed off.

" You told me you would be way better off without Logan and you really want to get back to your parents but you couldn't. You have the chance now. I'm sending my stuff down in a moving van. You can pack your stuff in with mine." Kevin said, using his very good persuading voice.

" Kevin this is a big step I have to think about it. I would love to come, but what if my parent's still hate me." Lucy thought out loud.

" First of all parent's don't hate their kids. Your parents were probably just disappointed in you. And if you have nowhere to stay, you can stay with me for as long as you need. We could split rent on an apartment." Kevin said.

Lucy sat in deep thought. " I'll think more about it. Talk to my boss. See if I can get enough money together. Talk to the kids. I don't have a lot of stuff, but I don't want to be a hassle for you."

"It would hardly be any trouble. I'd rather you guys with me than with Logan. That way I'll know you're safe. You can start over fresh."

Lucy thought about what Kevin said.

"Ok. Usually I wouldn't want to make a big decision like this that quickly, but to get out of here, any way is good." Lucy said.

Kevin smiled and hugged her.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'll help you get all your stuff together. I'm also going to pull a U-Haul behind my truck so a bit more stuff can fit in that. I plan to leave on the first weekend of May. Do you think you'll need more time?"

"No that's more than enough time. I'll work until we leave so I can make as much money as possible. I don't want to tell Logan I'm leaving though. Not until we do. I'll get him out of the house while I pack my stuff." Lucy started making plans.

Kevin and Lucy brought the kids to the car and drove home. They awoke, but then fell asleep again on the ride home. Kevin's brother, Ben, already lived in Glenoak and was moving out of his apartment into a house with his wife. Kevin had been to Ben's apartment before and was going to take it over, they just needed to transfer it to Kevin's name.

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	5. Moving Day

Thanks for all the reviews and I really mean it! I'd also like to thank everyone for their ideas too. Please R&R :)

Lucy had notified her boss that she would be quitting in three Fridays. She told him how she was moving back to her hometown and he was happy for her, because he knew what her life was like now. Lucy talked to Emma and Dylan only a week before they left. She didn't want them to let the news slip to their father. The day came that they had planned to leave. They had said bye to Mrs. Kezler the day before and a few other friends. Lucy and Logan had gotten into a fight and he had left with his friends, planning on staying out the night at a party anyway, so Lucy had no trouble getting him to leave. Kevin came over just as Logan and Lucy were finishing their fight. Logan had stormed out. Giving Kevin a dirty look, Logan jogged out of the trailer park to catch the bus to a friend's house. Kevin opened the trailer door and Lucy had her head leaning on a cupboard door and when she noticed Kevin there she sniffed and wiped her face quickly. Turning around she forced a smile and said hey.

" It's ok Luce." Kevin walked over and pulled her into a hug. She tried to hold her tears in, but a lump rose in her throat and they started pouring down her face. Even when you try to not cry your hardest, it just doesn't work sometimes, and that was one of those times. They just stood there, in each others arms, while Kevin comforted Lucy, stroking her back and just telling her it would be ok.

After standing there for a while, they were interrupted by the kids who had dragged out some of their toys. They quickly stepped apart and Lucy wiped her eyes.

" You ok mama?" Emma asked.

"I'm fine sweetie. You guys still got more toys to get right?" Lucy said changing the subject.

" Yeah, still all my trucks and some other things." Dylan said.

" Ok well go get what you can and bring it out and we'll get the rest." Lucy instructed them and the kids walked back to their room.

Lucy only planned on taking her clothes, other objects that were important to her, pictures and some kitchen wear. The old tv that was almost broken she was going to leave for Logan, along with the couch and bed. She took the kids blankets off their beds and everything they owned. Lucy was grabbing the pictures when she found a small book with drawings inside of it. It was full of drawings of the kids that one of Logan's friend, Dionne, had drawn. He was quite the artist as the pictures were perfect portrayals of the kids. There were babies pictures and pictures of them now. They couldn't always afford to take a lot of pictures, although they had some of the kids while they were growing up, so Dionne drew for them. Lucy grabbed the book and shoved it in one of the boxes. She left a couple pictures for Logan to remember his kids by, but doubted he would care anyways. It only took a few hours to pack up everything Lucy wanted to bring, since there wasn't much. Lucy had written up a long letter the night before for Logan explaining everything. She placed it on the counter and her and the kids took one last look around their home of the past four years.

Kevin and Lucy brought all the boxes into the U-Haul and some things in the car for the kids to play with along with some clothes. With a little drive around the city, going by some of their favorite places and grabbing some pizza from a favorite restaurant, they began on their way. They made it half way the first day and stayed in a hotel. It had two beds. They walked in and it was late, the kids half eyes closed climbed onto one of the beds and fell asleep. There was only one bed left.

" I can get a cot." Kevin offered.

" No it's fine. I mean we can sleep in the same bed. I don't sleep naked." Lucy laughed.

" Ok, me neither." Kevin also laughed a bit nervously. Lately he had been feeling different around Lucy. Wondering if he was acting weird, looked weird, his heart beating a bit faster. When they had first met he had a girlfriend, after they broke up Kevin had found himself a bit attracted to Lucy, but tried to let it go because she was I guess you could say "with" Logan.

Lucy pulled the blankets over the kids and put their pjs on then got in bed herself. Kevin didn't know how close he should get, trying not to make it obvious he was starting to like her. He stayed on the complete opposite side of the bed, on the very edge almost.

" It's ok I won't bite." Lucy said smiling at Kevin. He looked kind of funny trying to stay on the bed as he was on the edge. Kevin laughed nervously yet again and moved over a few inches.

They woke early the next morning and ate a free breakfast at the hotel before setting out on the road again. The scenery was nice going across country. Lucy hadn't done any travel since she moved to Chicago. It was nice to get out. They pulled into Glenoak late that night and Kevin could sense Lucy didn't want to see her parents that night, so he persuaded her to stay the night in his new apartment. His brother had moved all his stuff out and most of Kevin's stuff would be arriving the next day. They made beds with blankets on the floor. The kids thought it was camping out and thought it was fun. They had been a bit sad at leaving at first, but when Lucy explained that they could meet their grandparents, and have a much better life, the kids eagerly agreed on moving.

The next morning couldn't have come early enough. The kids had slept enough while traveling and were wide awake. Kevin could tell Lucy was tired so he offered to take the kids downtown to get bagels for breakfast because there was no food in the house. Lucy fell back asleep immediately. Kevin and the kids got back later with a bagel and coffee for Lucy. She showered and got dressed. She was going to her parent's today. It was a Saturday and her dad would be at the church working on his sermon most likely. She had decided on going there first, since she didn't know if they lived in the same house, even though she thought they would, but felt the church was the place she wanted to go. The kids were going to stay with Kevin while Lucy talked to her parents alone first. They would help Kevin move little things inside his house while him, Ben and the movers took the big stuff.

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	6. Home Sweet Home

Hey sorry it's short I've been busy with schoolwork. I'll write more this weekend. Thanks for the reviews keep em comin:)

Lucy walked to the church because it wasn't that far from Kevin's apartment and she wanted to see Glenoak. As she had predicted, Eric was in his office writing a sermon. She was about to go in, but lost her nerve and decided to go sit in the pews. She had her eyes closed and hands together and was praying, for anything good. She hadn't heard the footsteps behind her until they were right beside her and had went past her. Eric didn't know at the time it was his daughter and didn't want to disturb whoever was praying but had to get something from the stage. When he was walking back he noticed the face of the person sitting in the empty pew. Her hair color had changed, and she looked older, but it was unmistakably his second oldest daughter.

"Lucy!" Eric barely whispered, obviously at a loss for words. She opened her eyes and looked up at the familiar and welcoming smile her dad had. Not expecting to do such a thing she jumped up and jumped into his arms.

"I'm sorry." she stuttered. " I'm sorry for everything. How I acted, when I left, how I was being before I left." she buried her tear stained face in his shoulder, which had the familiar smell of his aftershave, and the rest of her words were too muffled to hear.

" It's ok honey we forgive you for everything. Forget it all what's important is that you came back." Eric looked at his daughter then up and thanked god.

Eric grabbed his laptop and they took off to the Camden house, which as Lucy had thought, was in the same place. Even though Eric asked more questions than Lucy could comprehend, she told him she would answer them when they were at home, so she wouldn't have to repeat everything for Annie.

Eric told Lucy to wait in the living and he walked into the kitchen where Annie was baking some of her famous chocolate chip cookies.

" What are you doing home so early? I thought you were working on your sermon at the church til five?" Annie interrogated Eric.

" I was going to. I just decided to come home and see my beautiful wife." Eric said.

Annie smiled but sensed something was up.

"I have a surprise for you. First you have to close your eyes." Eric said.

Annie smiled at her husband and wondered what kind of surprise he could have gotten her as she closed her eyes and brushed the flour off her hands.

Eric went into the living room and pulled Lucy into the kitchen.

"No peaking!" Eric told Annie as she laughed.

Lucy stood in front of Annie and then Eric told her to open her eyes.

Annie's eyes got huge as soon as she opened them. She blinked back tears as she swung her arms around her daughter.

" I'm so sorry mom for everything." Lucy whispered as she also choked back tears. Everything was all too good. The familiar kitchen hadn't changed a bit except for the new pictures on the fridge. It was filled with the smell of cooking as usual and Annie still had a smile that brightened up a room. She had a few more wrinkles but she hardly looked different.

Annie sat Lucy down at the table and began feeding her cookies and milk as she used to do with the kids when they were younger and had a problem. Lucy began telling her long story. Annie and Eric asked a lot of questions about the kids. Lucy promised to bring them over soon. Their conversation almost lasted an hour. By that time it was almost near supper time and Annie didn't feel like cooking, so they decided to order out. Lucy was going back to Kevin's to get the kids to bring them over for supper. Mary was also going to be coming over for supper with her husband. Simon, Ruthie, Sam and David were all still living at home ( Simon doesn't go away to college til next year). Lucy was driving back to the Camden's, using Kevin's SUV because he had decided to stay home that night and fix up his apartment, so he let Lucy use his vehicle. The kids were in the back seat, both a bit nervous to be meeting a lot of new people, they were their family who they had never even met.

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	7. Meet the Grandparents

**Hey guys thanks for the reviews! Just to make things clear the kids names are Dylan and Maddy. I'm really sorry for the mistakes in the past chapters. I had originally written the start of the story with different names and wanted to change them so I read through it but must have missed a couple names. Once again I'm sorry. Please R&R :)**

Lucy pulled into the Camden's driveway and got the kids out of the car. Taking a deep breath, she entered the house. At the sound of the door Annie had come rushing into the foyer from the kitchen. Both kids were standing behind Lucy, peeking out at the woman who had come running in.

Lucy knelt down and the kids were forced to stand beside her. Annie took a good look at them then also got down to their level and couldn't help herself and pulled them into a hug. When she let them go she looked as if she was close to tears, happy tears of course.

" Guys, this is your grandma." Lucy said not really knowing how else to introduce the kids to Annie.

" Oh Luce they're adorable." Annie said, a huge smile on her face.

" Where's dad?" Lucy asked.

" He's in his office, working hard on a sermon of course. I'll go get him" Annie said.

Eric then came out and was introduced to Dylan and Maddy. After that Sam, David, Ruthie and Simon were also introduced to them. It was hard explaining to Sam and David that they were uncles, especially because their niece and nephew were only a few years younger. Sam and David were now 5, so only a year older than Dylan. Sam and David started running off upstairs with Dylan and Maddy stayed close to her mother. Lucy went into the kitchen and they sat down at the table again and talked while they waited for their pizzas to come. Maddy said a couple words, but was still shy. It took a while for her to open up, she had to know someone for a while before she felt comfortable talking much around them. Maddy mentioned how she loved to color so Annie grabbed her some crayons and a paper. She set off drawing a picture. After she was done she showed Annie and Lucy. It was hard to tell what animal it was exactly because it had black stripes but was pink. Annie asked Maddy if she could hang the picture on the fridge and Maddy gave her the ok.

A couple minutes later Mary walked through the back door right into the kitchen. She looked at her sister and ran over to her. Lucy got up and hugged Mary.

" You have no idea how much I missed you." Mary quietly said into Lucy's ear.

" I missed you a lot too Mare." Lucy said.

Once the sisters broke apart, Mary pulled the man forward who had been standing in the background, kind of like a shy kid.

" This is Ben, my husband." Mary said, introducing the tall, brown haired man next to her.

Not only did he have a striking resemblance to Kevin, but his name was Ben, and Lucy could recall Kevin saying his brother's name was Ben. Lucy had never actually met him, but saw a few pictures of him, and the man standing in front of her was no doubt him.

" You wouldn't happen to have a brother Kevin would you?" Lucy asked him as he shook her hand.

" Yeah, how did you know that?" Ben asked surprised.

" Well, I came here with him from Detroit." Lucy answered.

" You're the girl! Whoa small world huh? " Ben said, feeling more comfortable around her.

" Yeah." Lucy half laughed.

After that Mary was introduced to her niece and nephew and by then the pizza had arrived and everyone grabbed some and began eating around the large Camden dining room table. This was something new for Dylan and Maddy, because they had never had a family to eat with other than Lucy. This dining room table was full though, unlike something they had ever seen. They had never really even eaten at a dining room table before.

After everyone was done eating, they cleaned up together. Sam and David rushed Dylan outside to play in the backyard and Maddy clung onto Lucy.

The adults made some tea and decided to sit on the back deck to watch the kids play.

Maddy climbed onto Lucy's lap and sat with the adults.

" Sweetie why don't you go play with Sam, David and Dylan.

Maddy shook her head and snuggled up to Lucy.

Annie and Eric had gotten the twins a mini basketball net. The three boys were all taking shots on it. Dylan then grabbed one of the bigger balls that would be played on with the bigger net, and took a shot and sunk it in the big net. Sam and David stared at him wide eyed, as all the other adults did too. Lucy had seen him do it before and wasn't surprised. One nice thing Logan did with Dylan was teach him to play basketball on big nets. He would take him when he went to play with his friends downtown and Dylan would practice shots on another net. By now he could shoot from the 3 pointer line and was working on lay ups.

" Oh my god Luce did you see that!" Mary said, obviously referring to Dylan.

" Yeah, he does it all the time." Lucy answered.

" Seriously?" Simon said, also very astounded.

Everyone stared at Dylan as he sunk a few more shots and attempted a few lay ups, getting 1 out of 3 in. After a while he noticed that everyone had been staring at him and he stopped taking shots. Sam shot the ball at the big net and didn't even get the ball high enough to hit the rim.

When the adults noticed they were scaring Dylan by staring at him they began talking again and the boys started playing basketball again.

Later everyone went it as the coldness set in. It was getting close to summer, but the nights were still cooler. The kids ran off their last bits of energy, before they began to drop like dead flies. They sat down in the living room and began to play Candyland. It was a new game to Dylan and Maddy, but Sam and David showed them how to play. It also had to be one of the few times they didn't cheat while playing. They thought they would be nice to their niece and nephew. Lucy had finally caught up with everyone and now she wanted to know what was going on with them.

Mary told Lucy about her life. She had met Ben almost 2 years ago and they had been married the November that had just passed. She was a gym teacher now and Ben was a fire fighter. As Lucy already knew they had just bought a small house about ten minutes away from the Camden house. Simon was in the end of his second last year of highschool. He had a part time job downtown at the Bookstore. Ruthie was in grade eight, last year before highschool. She had a "boyfriend" James. Of course she wasn't allowed to date, but he was around the house a lot with her. Sam and David were getting to be like Ruthie, really sneaky. This was their first year in school and they liked it. Matt was in New York at NYU in medical school. He had married a nice Jewish woman, Sarah ( as the normal story goes). Annie and Eric had nothing new in their lives except all the new people they had helped. They were so into catching up, Lucy hadn't noticed the time.

"11 o'clock! I should get home just in case Kevin wants to go out I have his vehicle and I have to get the kids to bed." Lucy said looking at the clock.

" Awh come on stay a bit longer." the Camdens pleaded.

" Yeah Kev won't be going out tonight." Ben added.

" I better get home anyways I'm tired. I'll be back tomorrow don't worry." Lucy said as she stood up and pushed her chair in.

She got Maddy and Dylan and put them in the car and then drove back to Kevin's.

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	8. Lucy and Kevin sitting in a tree kissing

**Hey sorry for the long review I've been busy with school work. Hope you like this chapter Please R&R :)**

When they got back to Kevin's the kids put their pj's on and brushed their teeth. Normally they would make excuses and try to stall so they wouldn't have to go to bed, but they were tired out and made no objections to going to bed. Kevin had insisted Lucy, Dylan and Maddy share his bed which was put in the only bedroom. His couch had been delivered and he was planning to sleep on that. Everyone said good night to Kevin who was watching a movie on his tv, which he had also set up that night. Lucy tucked the kids in and got in the bed herself. She lay there thinking about how great the day had been. It still seemed surreal that she was here. She tried picturing what she would be doing if she was in Detroit at the moment. She did a lot of thinking, but still couldn't fall asleep. The kid's had passed out a while ago, but Lucy didn't seem to be tired anymore. She could hear faintly, the sound of the tv and decided she would go out and watch some with Kevin for a while. Maybe it would make her sleepy.

She walked out into the living room, which was colder than the bedroom. She had a t-shirt and pajama pants on. Goose bumps formed on her arms as she entered the living room. Kevin looked up at her as she waked over the couch.

" Hey what are you doing up? I thought you were asleep? I hope the tv isn't keeping you up." Kevin babbled.

" No don't worry I was awake already. I can't seem to fall asleep, I thought I'd come watch tv with you." Lucy said sitting down beside Kevin on the couch.

All the lights were off. The only brightness was coming from the tv. Lucy rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself up.

" Here, you look cold." Kevin said as he placed a blanket around Lucy's shoulders.

" Oh, thanks. So what are you watching?" Lucy asked.

" Some horror movie, I've never heard of it before. It's an old fashioned one, I love those though." Kevin said, as he kept his eyes on the tv. He was beginning to feel confused. If he looked at her would it seem like he was staring? He couldn't remember now what it felt to not like her.

" You ok? You've been acting a bit weird lately." Lucy questioned him.

Kevin's eyes got big and his mind raced for an answer. His mouth began to get dry and he started to worry if he would be able to talk.

" No I'm fine. Just tired and everything from the move. Gotta get on California time." Kevin said nervously. He could hear himself talking, but didn't feel like he actually was.

"Oh, yeah I think I am a bit too. Just trying to let everything set in. I want to thank you so much though, without you I would probably be sitting at the trailer right now, washing a stack of dishes, in a smoke filled trailer with a million beer bottles everywhere." Lucy said sincerely.

" No problem, I'd do anything to help you." Kevin said looking down.

" That's why you're the best." Lucy said smiling at him.

Kevin couldn't help but to smile.

" Now that I'm out of there, I'm in charge. Sometimes it's overwhelming. Everything is coming at once. I need to get a job, a place to live that I can afford, and all of those other little details. I would really love to save up and buy a small used car. Just something to get me to work, which I hope I can find a job really soon." Lucy said staring off, thinking about the new problems to tackle.

" You can stay here as long as you need, you know that." Kevin said.

" I know, but this is your apartment, not a lot of room we don't want to impose on you." Lucy said.

" As long as you need." Kevin repeated, referring to them staying with him.

" By the way, how did it go tonight? How did the kids do with meeting all that new family?"

" It went really well, they played with Sam and David, my little twin brothers, most of the night. Maddy was a bit shy at first. My parent's were so happy. They don't have any other grandkids. Oh, also, coincidence maybe but you're brother is married to my sister Mary." Lucy said.

" Mary's your sister?" Kevin said surprised.

" Yeah." Lucy answered.

They talked a bit more and Kevin reassured Lucy she would get through everything, and that he was there for her, whenever she needed him. He debated in his head whether or not hugging Lucy would be inappropriate, but decided to, seeing as they were friends.

As they were breaking apart, they stopped, inches away from each other's faces. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Before he noticed what he was doing, Kevin had gone in for a kiss. Lucy had also went in for the kiss, feeling something come over her. Their lips locked and time seemed to stop as their lips meshed together. About a minute into the kiss, Lucy broke off.

Kevin didn't know what to say, but thankfully she spoke first.

" I'm sorry. It's just too soon. Everything is moving so fast, I'm not ready." Lucy said nervously.

"Oh. Yeah. Of course, I understand." Kevin stammered, at a loss for words.

Both of them couldn't think of anything else to say, so they stared at the tv, even though they both weren't paying attention to the movie.

" Well uhm I think I'm going to head back to bed." Lucy said, getting up. The tension in the room was thick and she just needed to get out and think about what happened.

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	9. Cloud Nine

**Sorry for such the long update everyone. I've been busy with school. I'll try not to make such a long update again. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please R&R :)**

The sun shone through the windows and Lucy's eyes fluttered open. It took a few seconds for her to remember the night before. When she did, she pulled the blankets over her head and groaned.

" What did I get myself into now," Lucy mumbled to herself.

She looked beside her in the bed and noticed both kids were gone. Hearing the faint sounds of the tv she assumed they must be out there watching it. She didn't want to go out and face Kevin and decided to try and go back to sleep, although eventually she would have to talk to him.

Just as she had turned back over to go back to sleep, Maddy flung the door open and ran over to the bed. She climbed on top and bounced onto Lucy.

"Wake up mama!" she screeched.

The smell of pancakes wafted into the room.

" Who is making breakfast?" Lucy asked Maddy.

"Kevin. He put chocolate chips in mine," Maddy said, a huge grin on her face.

" Come out and have some," Maddy said pulling Lucy out of the bed.

Fear took over Lucy. She didn't know how to act around Kevin. She never felt this nervous of seeing someone after only kissing them. She braced herself and stepped into the kitchen, which was attached to the living room. Dylan was watching tv, a plate of pancakes loaded with syrup on his lap. Kevin was at the stove making himself some pancakes.

"Morning. How many pancakes do you want?" Kevin asked Lucy, acting the same as usual.

" I can make mine that's fine. You go eat yours." Lucy said, after a couple seconds.

" I don't mind, I'm cooking some already." Kevin answered.

"Alright, well I'll have 2 then. Thanks." Lucy said, taking a seat at the small table.

"No problem." Kevin said, pouring some more batter into the frying pan.

The day wore on and Lucy tried to avoid Kevin as much as possible.

At 2 o'clock Lucy had finally gotten the kids ready and was going to look for a place to live. Kevin offered her his vehicle, but her dad was going to help her instead. Eric honked his horn outside and Lucy and the kids left with just a quick good bye to Kevin.

"Where do you want to look first?" Eric asked Lucy.

" How about the trailer park just around the corner and down the street from Andy's Convenience Store." Lucy suggested.

" Alright." Eric said as he drove away from the apartments.

The only sound was the faint people chatting away on the radio, until Eric spoke up.

" You know you can live with mom and I until you save up a bit."

" I know, you've offered me before, but I need to do this on my own. These are my kids and I brought them into the world, I need to take care of them. I didn't depend on you guys from the start of their lives. I don't want to start now. You guys have Sam,David and Ruthie to still worry about." Lucy said giving a smile to make Eric believe her small speech.

" Adults ask for help you know, it wouldn't be wrong for you to ask us for help." Eric said.

"I know that you guys are always there if I need you. If ever I need help and don't think I can handle things, I will ask you, don't worry." Lucy said.

The rest of the ride was silent until they pulled up to the trailer park. Kids of all ages were scattered around. Some playing basketball on the court, some smaller children playing on the old rusty playground. Some girls were skipping and some guys skateboarding. It looked like a cheerful enough place. Lucy forced a smile to show her dad things would be fine. They pulled up to the place that Lucy called the night before and had found out was the landlord of all the trailers. Everyone jumped out of the car and Eric double checked to make sure it was locked. Inside the small building, which was the front of a small house, was a woman sitting watching tv, smoking a cigarette. The room was fairly dark and gloomy, not to mention dusty. The place must have not been cleaned since it was built.

The four Camdens approached the counter desk. The woman looked up and sat up, putting her cigarette out in a full ashtray.

" What can I do for you folks today?" the woman asked, going into a small coughing fit afterwards.

" I'm looking for Harriet Richard." Lucy stated.

" You're looking at her. Call me Jodie please, I hate Harriet. Jodie is my middle name." The woman said holding her hand out.

Lucy shook it, the woman flashed Maddy and Dylan a smile. She seemed friendly enough, just not very organized. After Lucy told her they were looking for a trailer to rent she rushed over to her filing cabinet. She had to go through 3 drawers before she found the folder with trailers for rent.

" Here we go now. We have 4 for rent. Two over across the lot, one three down from here, and another one near the entrance. Would you like to take a look at them?" Jodie offered.

" Sure. But first I would like to know what rent is a month." Lucy wondered.

" Rent is 240 a month." Jodie said. ( I don't know how much they really are).

They walked around the trailer park, getting a tour and information about it. Their first stop was the trailer 3 down from her office. She opened the door with a key. They entered to a dark, musty trailer. Streaks of sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the millions of dust particles floating around. The pull out couch had a rip in one cushion, made by god only knows. Some stains here and there on the carpet. A crack in one window. Jodie gave them a quick tour, trying hard to persuade them to buy it. Letting them know their neighbors would be nice.

Lucy gave each kid an encouraging pat on the shoulder and whispered in their ears that everything would be ok.. The next three trailers were about the same. They walked back to the main office afterwards.

" So what do you think?" Jodie asked.

" They all look fine. I'd just like a minute to talk to my family." Lucy said, excusing herself.

" No problem." Jody sat down in her chair and flicked on the tv to a soap opera.

" What do you guys think?" Lucy tried to whisper, because it was obvious Jodie was trying to listen to them, with her tv down low, almost at a mute.

" I like that one near the basketball courts. With that little boy outside the trailer next to it. He looked almost same age as me." Dylan said, giving back his feed back.

" Do you like that one?" Lucy asked Maddy.

Maddy shrugged her shoulders.

" Well it's not going to get much better. I say we choose one of these. The one Dylan mentioned looked good. But do we all agree?" Lucy asked, mainly Maddy and Dylan.

Having lived in a trailer park before, even at a young age, the kids knew trailers wouldn't get any nicer than the ones they had just looked at, so they decided on the one Dylan mentioned. They told Jodie to hold the trailer and they would move in the following week. Eric and Annie insisted on paying the starting rent, since Lucy didn't have a job yet and she wanted to move in as soon as possible. The afternoon was over and night was falling in. Supper at the Camden house had again been arranged. Annie cooked a chicken and other assorted foods. Everyone gathered around the table to say grace and dig into the wonderful, home-cooked food.

The night again was spent together. The family played charades and made ice cream sundaes. Lucy went back to Kevin's early enough to give the kids a bath. Kevin was sitting on the couch going over some papers for work. He was to start the following Monday, which was in three days. Lucy sat down in the leather chair beside the couch and sighed.

"Long day?" Kevin asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. We found a place though. Moving in next week." Lucy replied.

"That's great. Where is it?" Kevin kept up the casual conversation.

" Oakland's Trailer Park, right around the corner from Andy's."

" That's good. About 12 minutes from here, driving. So we can still hang out." Kevin said, flashing his famous smile, which made Lucy smile and go a bit red.

They stared at each other for a bit, both smiling, before noticing what they were doing.

" So, are you going to stay with me until you move?" Kevin said, his eyes pleading.

" I don't know. We've already stayed with you long enough and I really appreciate it. Maybe I should stay at my parent's house."

" Are you kidding I want you guys to stay here. I'll be lonely once you guys leave."

" We can always come visit you. You'll have to get yourself a dog or a girlfriend." Lucy teased.

" Maybe a dog, not a girlfriend." Kevin tried hinting to Lucy that he didn't want any other girls.

" A dog sounds good then." Lucy smiled back at him.

Lucy decided to go to bed right after, floating on cloud nine, thinking about Kevin.

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	10. A New Beginning

**Hi guys thanks for the reviews they really help writing. Sorry I'm not updating as often as before and sorry this chapter is a bit short. Please R&R :)**

Moving day came quickly. Kevin helped Lucy and the kids bring over the small amount of things that they had brought with them. The inside of the trailer needed a good scrub down. Maddy and Dylan pulled Kevin around the trailer, showing him each room. As he saw the dirt and cracks in everything, he so badly wanted to bring Lucy, Maddy and Dylan home with him. He wanted to give them money, but knew she would not accept it. She didn't like to give up and always kept plugging ahead, one thing Kevin loved about her.

Using sponges and buckets of soap and water, they scrubbed down the trailer. After cleaning was done, they began to move things inside. Lucy couldn't afford to get a bed for Maddy and Dylan, or herself, so she bought two mattresses. The kids were once again sharing a room, not to mention a bed. On one side of the room Dylan had his toys and the other side were Maddy's. Kevin offered to take the kids to the mall to pick out a few things for their room, his treat. Lucy told him he didn't have to, but he insisted he wanted to. They returned an hour and a half later with a poster for each kid (a Spiderman one for Dylan and a Barbie one for Maddy), a new coloring book for Maddy, and a bag of marbles for Dylan. Dylan had seen some kids playing with marbles in the trailer park and thought if he learned he could play with them. Both kids hands and faces were sticky from popsicle juice, so Lucy cleaned them up.

That night, after everything was set up, Kevin took Lucy and the kids out for a drive in the bush. He brought supplies to make a fire and they roasted marshmallows. The kids were running around, while Lucy and Kevin sat by the fire.

" Luce, can I tell you something?" Kevin began.

"Sure," Lucy answered.

" Well the other night, I know we've both been avoiding the subject, but it happened for a reason. And I know we were both just stressed maybe and caught up in the moment, but the feelings I had that night haven't gone away. I still feel the same. I just wanted to let you know, to see how you were feeling."

" Oh Kev I don't know," Lucy sighed. " I was caught up in the moment and definitely stressed, so I'm not sure if I would have done that if I was thinking straight."

" Are you thinking straight now?"

" A bit more now," Lucy answered.

Not expecting it, Kevin leaned in and kissed Lucy, again. It lasted about 30 seconds, when they both broke it off, this time both smiling.

" Well I guess I have to admit I'm a bit attracted to you," Lucy said, smiling and blushing.

" Same here," Kevin laughed.

Remembering that the kids were somewhere near, they moved a bit apart, so they would not suspect anything. They came back with a bucket of water which they had retrieved from the nearby stream.

" Come on and finish up guys we're going home soon," Lucy told the two groaning kids.

On the ride home the kids fell asleep. Lucy was going to wake up early to look for a job, so Kevin dropped them off and went home.

Lucy's mind was a mess. She was confused about what to do with Kevin. She was really beginning to like him, but didn't think it was the right time to be in a relationship. She got in her pajamas and sunk into her new bed, in her new home. This would be a new beginning, and would hopefully be better than before.

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	11. Going on a Job Hunt

**Here's another chapter guys I hope you like it and thanks for the reviews:)**

Lucy woke up the following morning earlier than she would have liked. Looking at her old alarm clock, she saw that it read 6:00. She pulled the blankets up around her shoulder and buried her head in the pillows. Waiting to fall back asleep, after almost a half an hour, she found that she couldn't. She relaxed in bed until she heard footsteps come down the small hall and her door open with a creak. Maddy peeked in and was surprised to find Lucy awake. She scurried over to the mattress and plopped herself down beside Lucy.

" Morning sweetie," Lucy said with a yawn.

" What are we doing today?" Maddy said as she climbed under the covers and snuggled up to her mom.

" Mommy is going to try and find a job today. You and Dylan are going to go visit grandma for a bit. She's taking you two and Sam and David to the zoo," Lucy explained.

After the mentioning of going to the zoo a huge smile came on Maddy's face and Lucy knew she would have no trouble getting her to stay at her parent's house for the afternoon. Even though it seemed like something every child had done many times, Maddy and Dylan had never actually went to the zoo.

After a little more of laying around in bed, Lucy and Maddy got up and made breakfast. Dylan must have been tired out from the night before and slept in for 45 more minutes. Lucy made french toast for her and Maddy and when Dylan awoke she made him a piece. She got the kids dressed and began to walk to the closest bus stop. Putting her change in, her and the kids boarded a town bus and took a seat. They got off at a stop right near the Camden house. Lucy dropped the kids. Annie let Lucy use the electric car, since she was taking the van with the kids to the zoo, and Eric would be working in his office for the afternoon so wouldn't need a vehicle. Bringing a newspaper with her with jobs circled inside, Lucy set off on her job hunt.

First stop was a coffee shop downtown. Just her luck someone had come by only 15 minutes earlier and claimed the job. The manager apologized and suggested she try the library. She went there and the job opening was still available, but when the manager saw she did not complete highschool, he made up a phony excuse not to hire her. She got back in the car and took a deep breath, running her hands through her hair.

"This is going to be a long day," she sighed.

She tried two more stores, both no luck. Finally, while walking through the mall from a store she had just applied at, she saw a sign that read help needed, in the window of a dark store. She entered it and found herself surrounded by odd gadgets. Some looked like mini African masks. Others were small dolls with needles poked into them. A few bookshelves ran along the back wall. The whole store was dusty and looked as if no one had walked in it for years. Lucy approached the counter and found it empty. Seconds later a woman trudged out from the office behind. Her black hair looked very greasy, and obviously died. She had countless piercings and dark make up on. It was the typical style of a gothic teenager, but this woman had to be in her 30s.

" Can I help you? What would you like, a book on how to do voodoo magic on an ex boyfriend. How to perform a seyonce? You name it." the woman drawled, which matched her look perfectly.

" No," Lucy thought of Logan at the mention of voodoo on an ex, but let it go. "I saw the sign out on the door that said looking for help, and I'm in need of a job."

"Oh, ok. Well I need someone to work here during the days on weekdays." the woman said, sounding uninterested.

" Alright. Would you like a look at my resume?" Lucy asked.

" Have you worked anywhere before?"

"Yeah," Lucy answered.

" Well then you're hired." This sentence was said with as much enthusiasm as the other questions were.

" Ok," Lucy said, a bit confused that the woman chose her that quickly.

" You can start tomorrow. You work Monday to Fridays from 9- 6. Tomorrow I'll be here to show you how everything works, then you'll be on your own. We are only open from 9-6 Monday to Saturday. I can usually work Saturdays, if not I'll let you know." the woman explained.

" Alright, well I'm Lucy Camden," Lucy said.

" I'm Leanna, the owner of this store. We'll talk about salary tomorrow."

" Sounds good, I'll see you tomorrow," Lucy said, walking away.

Leanna slightly lifted her hand as a goodbye.

Lucy got in the car and drove back to the Camdens. Annie was still out with the kids, but Eric was in the kitchen having a snack.

"Hey how did job hunting go?" Eric asked, pulling the chair out beside him for Lucy to sit down.

" Well I went to about 5 different places before I found the place I now have a job at."

" Well that's alright, at least you have a job." Eric said, trying to encourage her.

" Yeah," Lucy laughed a little.

" Where did you get a job?" Eric said noticing that Lucy wasn't too happy about it.

" At a store in the mall, which I'm sure you have never even noticed. It's called the Prepix. It doesn't look like it has many costumers."

" Come on now you have to give the job a try first before you can complain," Eric said nudging Lucy's shoulder.

" I guess. If this was highschool and I only needed money to go shopping than this job would be fine, but I have a family to support."

" See how the job goes for a while. Can't just go find another job if you don't think you're going to like a job."

" I know," Lucy said, grabbing an apple.

Lucy and Eric chatted for a bit more before he went back to his office to work. Lucy decided to relax and watch some tv as she waited for Annie to return. They stayed at the Camden's that night for dinner. Lucy worked out a schedule with Annie, to bring the kids there while she worked, which Annie insisted on doing.

Lucy started her job and it wasn't that bad, as there were hardly any costumers and all she had to do was sit around all day. She tried to keep the place cleaner, but the dust seemed to have found its permanent home there. A month passed and Lucy found it hard to pay the bills. The store didn't make a lot of money and Lucy knew Leanna would have problems paying her.

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	12. That Little Voice in Your Head Counts

**Been a bit busy lately with schoolwork so I haven't updated that frequently, sorry. But here's another chapter hope you like it :) Please R&R !**

One Saturday night, before closing, Lucy had to come in to work for the day and Leanna had just arrived to pick up some things. A man entered the store, wearring an expensive suit and sunglasses. The store did not look like his taste. He approached the counter.

" Hello. Is Leanna here?" the man questioned Lucy.

" Yeah, she's in the back. Want me to get her for you?"

" No I'll wait for her. I'm her brother, just waiting for her to come with me to our other sister's birthday party."

" Oh, alright then," Lucy said.

" You have very beautiful eyes," the man mentioned, catching Lucy off guard.

" Oh, well uhm thank you," Lucy said, not knowing what to tell him.

" A fine body too."

" Thanks," Lucy again repeated, getting a little freaked out.

" Have you ever considered exotic dancing as a career? You'd be perfect." The man then said.

Startled by his question, Lucy answered " No, I have two kids."

" Many women with children dance. It pays good. A good job to have if you're going through school to pay for it. I own a bar, specifically a strip club, and two of my dancers had to leave and I'm looking for new ones. It would be much more pay than you get here," the man whispered the last sentence, not wanting his sister to hear.

" I'm sure it would, but that's not the line of work I was intending on having." Lucy said politely.

" Many people have stereotypes on strippers and exotic dancers, thinking they are drugged up sluts, but really they are normal people like you and me. They have families and aren't on drugs or alcoholics. They just need a job to pay the bills. Some only for short periods if they are in a rough patch. Working here you can't be doing financially well no offence at all, I understand hard times."

" No offence taken and you do not know what my financial status is." Lucy said coldly.

The man took out a paper and scribbled down a number as he said, " This would be your weekly makings, considering it is a normal week.."

The number on the paper was larger than her income in a month was at the store.

The decision weighed on her mind, even though she knew she should say no.

" That's how much I would make in a week?" Lucy asked what he had just said.

" Yes," the man said. " I'm Charles Rowan, you can call me Charlie" he said extending his hand.

Lucy shook his hand as she told him her first name.

" Tell you what, you think about this decision and come see me Monday at my club. Here's the address and phone number," he said, pulling out his card and handing it to her.

Lucy stared down at the card, but immediately put it in her pocket as she heard Leanna coming back.

" I'm leaving now, you can close up right?" Leanna said, in her usual mon-tone.

" Yeah, no problem," Lucy answered.

" Ready?" Charles said to Leanna, annoyance in his voice.

" Yeah let's get this over with." Leanna said, obviously not wanting to attend the birthday party.

Charles flashed Lucy a smile as he escorted his sister out of the store.

Lucy sat down and buried her hands in her face and tried to think. The decision weighed on her mind for the rest of the night and through Sunday. Monday came. Lucy had told no one about the job offer. After making a shopping list, Lucy's stress level rose, as she thought of the money she didn't have but needed. After checking her wallet and finding nothing but five bucks in it, she knew what her decision would be. The next day, after work, Lucy drove to Charles' bar.

She walked in and asked the bar tender where he could be found.

She waited 15 minutes then was sent into his office.

" So, have you decided?" Charles said, trying to persuade her with his smile.

" Yes. Now this isn't going to be permanent, it's just for now." Lucy said, giving him his answer.

" Yes!" He said almost jumping out of his chair. " I knew you'd come around. Don't worry about the future for now." he told her, in a voice that made you give in.

Lucy discussed job issues for another half an hour. She would be starting the following Friday. She decided to only work Friday and Saturdays to start. Not wanting to let anyone know about her new job, she would now have enough to pay for a babysitter. She would bring the kids home after finishing at the store, then leave for her job at the bar. One hour classes would be held all week starting that night, to teach Lucy techniques. Not wanting to admit she had already been through this before, she decided to just go along with it, as she had not done it before.

Lucy hurried back to the Camden house. She told Annie she had to do some things at the store and she was sorry for being late. After picking up the kids, Eric drove Lucy and them home on his way to pick up something at the church. Lucy went through her nightly courses, telling her mom she had to stay at the store a bit longer, in place of her dancing classes. Friday finally came. With the spare money she had saved up, Lucy had gotten one of the teenage girls in the trailer park that she had began to know, to babysit Maddy and Dylan. Telling them that she had to go work at the store and that she wanted to give grandma a break, Lucy left the kids with Danielle. She was pretty good with them and played the games they liked, so they didn't mind much staying with her.

Lucy nervously walked through the back doors of the bar, into the changing rooms. She was greeted by Charlie who explained her routine for the night. The night, although full of old memories, went by quickly. Almost in a haze of smoke and men. Friday nights were good nights. Lucy pulled in 950 dollars, which was not bad at all for a first night. She went home with a smile on her face, although it ate away in the back of her mind that she was lying, whether or not she had been asked if she was dancing, it was lying by omission to her family, the people who meant the most to her.

After an almost empty bus ride home, she was exhausted and tired, but at least she did not have to work tomorrow, well until tomorrow night. She came home to find Danielle reading a magazine.

" Hey how were the kids?" Lucy questioned her.

" They were great. Call me anytime you need me." Danielle said, getting up.

" Thanks I will need you tomorrow too we already discussed this though." Lucy said, handing Danielle her babysitting money.

" Yeah I'll be here for 8:30." Danielle said as she threw on her jean jacket and proceeded to leave.

" Are you ok to walk home?" Lucy asked her, worry in her voice.

" Yeah I'll be fine, I do it all the time." Danielle answered, giving Lucy a smile before closing the door after her. Lucy watched her walk home as far as she could see out the window, then went to put her own pjs on. After checking in on the sleeping kids, she got into her own bed. She fell asleep, thinking about the memories of the night. In a way she felt good about making all that money, but bad in a way too. This would be sin of all sins to her father and she knew it would break his heart. She knew she could not tell him.

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	13. End of the Line

**Here's another chapter guys I hope you like it. I need 75 reviews before I can continue so please R&R :)**

A month went by and Lucy's new job was kept a secret. She continued to work at the store, but the pay seemed nothing compared to what she made dancing. She was considering dancing on week nights too, but decided how she was doing right now was ok. She was saving up to buy an old car, just so she wouldn't have to take the bus all the time. She had to play it carefully though, as her parents and others would wonder where she got the money to buy a car.

It was a Saturday night and only about midnight. Lucy was on a break and just about to go out to dance again. After a few more drinks of her water, she put her platform shoes back on and went back out to dance. She started at one side of the stage, then switched with another girl and went to the opposite side. She was on the ground and coming up, when she came face to face with none other than Kevin. He was surrounded by a group of his cop buddies, who had dragged him there that night. Kevin wasn't a big fan of strip clubs, but his friends told him to let loose and come have a beer, so he gave in with nothing else to do that night.

Both Kevin and Lucy's jaws dropped. Kevin stuttered the start of a few words before saying, " Lucy?" which was all he could think of.

" What are you- I mean why- how," jumbles of words fell out of Kevin's mouth, as he sat there in amazement, disbelief and confusion.

" Kevin, it's not what you thin," Lucy said, not able to think straight.

" Well what it looks like to me is you're an exotic dancer!" Kevin exclaimed.

" Well uh yes that is what it is, but there's an explanation." Lucy stuttered.

" What kind of good explanation could there be for doing this?" Kevin said, trying not to yell.

" Kevin I can't talk now, I'm done at 2, either talk to me then or another day."

" Oh I'll wait til 2, don't worry this can't wait."

Lucy continued to dance, feeling more uncomfortable than ever, knowing that Kevin was watching her. Kevin had zoned out and his friends were clapping and cheering, putting money in Lucy's girdle ( I think that's what they're called). 2 o'clock didn't seem to come fast enough. Finally when it was her time to go get dressed, she told Kevin to wait for her to change. When she had put her normal clothes back on, she joined Kevin back out in the bar.

" Let's go talk in my car," Kevin said, getting up.

They walked in silence to Kevin's SUV. After getting in the two front seats, they both sat there, staring blankly ahead, not knowing how to start.

Kevin spoke first. " Why in the world would you be doing this?"

" You don't understand, I needed the money. My job at the mall wasn't getting me anything. I have two kids, not including myself to clothes, feed and keep a roof over their head. No way was I going to be able to provide that well enough with the job at the mall. And how would I ever be able to buy a car. This isn't permanent, but I needed it temporarily." Lucy said, not being able to look at Kevin as tears formed in her eyes. She became an emotional wreck and tears began to flow freely, although she was trying to hold them back, it was not working the least.

" Hey come on it's ok." Kevin said as he pulled her into a hug, not knowing what else to say.

They sat there, embraced, for minutes without speaking. Finally Lucy pulled away and wiped her eyes.

" I just don't know what to do anymore." she confessed.

" It's ok to ask for help. I'm here to help you and your family is here to help you. Let us help."

" I know, but I don't want to move in with anyone, I need to stand on my own. And I don't just have myself, there's two kids with me. It's more to adjust to, you're not used to living with kids."

" I could learn, I'm going to have to someday, why not now."

Lucy stared into Kevin's eyes and saw that he would make a wonderful father, but the problem was telling the difference between starting things too quickly or not. She wanted to make the right choice this time around.

" Kev I don't know," Lucy said.

" You're not going to know unless you give me a chance. Give us a chance." Kevin said, his eyes begging her. Silence following as Lucy thought hard.

" Alright. Under one condition." Lucy gave in to temptation.

" Anything. What is it?" Kevin said happily.

" We don't tell the kids about us right away. We move in with you and just pretend we're still friends for now." Lucy stated.

" Done." Kevin said hugging her.

" And one suggestion I have that I would really like you to try." Kevin added.

" What's that?" Lucy said smiling.

" You quit this job!" Kevin said.

" I will. But I think I need to find a better job than my one at the mall. I'm not getting anywhere with that." Lucy replied.

" Good idea," Kevin said, starting up the car.

" Now let me take you home for tonight and I will come see you tomorrow. Sundays are days off we can discuss when you want to move in. The night was sealed with a kiss as Kevin had walked Lucy to her door. Both went to sleep with butterflies in their stomachs.

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	14. I Love You

**Hey sorry that I haven't written in forever. Hope you like the update, please leave me a review:)**

It had been a week since Lucy and the kids moved in with Kevin. There were two bedrooms in the apartment. Kevin had the small one. Lucy had the big one. The kids shared the bed, and she took the blow up mattress on the floor. Just two days before Lucy had fortunately found a new job. Also a job in the mall, she now worked at a clothing store and her pay and hours were slightly better.

Annie was watching Dylan and Maddy one afternoon while Lucy was working. Annie scooped her freshly baked chocolate chip cookies onto a rack to cool. Dylan sat beside her smelling the cookies.

"Grandma," Dylan started, in an uneasy voice, not sure if he should mention anything.

"Yes hun?" Annie answered.

" I saw Mommy and Kevin kissing last night in the living room."

Annie looked up from the cookies and just stared at Dylan for a few seconds, not sure what to say, as the information registered in her brain.

" Do you think she loves him?" Dylan then questioned.

" Well...uhm, " Annie started, trying to stall as she thought of an answer. " Sometimes when people kiss it means they love each other, but sometimes it means they just really like each other," Annie finished, unsatisfied with her answer, but wasn't sure what else to say.

" So do you think that Mommy and Kevin love each other?" Dylan repeated.

" I'm not sure. You will have to ask your mom that," Annie said, yet again not happy with the unthought out answers she was giving her grandson.

Dylan sighed as he attempted to pick up a scolding cookie.

That night Lucy and Kevin were watching a movie with Dylan and Maddy before they went to bed. Maddy was already asleep, about to fall off of the couch, clutching her teddy bear to her stomach. Lucy got up and carried Maddy into the bedroom and tucked her in. When she returned, Dylan turned on the couch to face her and Kevin.

" We need talk," Dylan said, in a serious voice.

" Ok," Lucy said, smiling at her son's adultness.

" I saw you two kissing last night," Dylan said sternly.

" Oh," Lucy said, struggling for something to say.

It sounded like Kevin was about to say something, then decided not to.

" Are you guys in love?" Dylan continued.

There was a long silence, when finally Kevin spoke.

" I am," Kevin said, a smile on his face. He was talking more to Lucy now, than to Dylan.

Lucy and Kevin had never exchanged "I love you's" yet.

Lucy heart skipped a beat as she stared at Kevin, a bit in shock.

" Really?" Lucy said, in disbelief. Things were happening a little quick.

" Really," Kevin answered back.

" Luce, I love you. We have some kind of connection that I can't shake off. My feelings have grown for you a lot in these past few months, and I'm happy about everything that's been going on."

Lucy just stared into Kevin's eyes, a smile creeping onto her face.

" I love you too," Lucy replied, barely above a whisper, almost as if she was holding back tears.

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	15. The Fire that Burns Within

**Sorry for the long update and short chapter. Hope you like it though. Leave a comment:)**

The rain washed out the streets of Glenoak as a big storm was passing through. Lucy sat on the couch in her apartment reading a magazine. Worry rushed through her as Kevin was an hour later than he was expected to be back with the kids. He had taken them to a movie, Lucy had to work until the middle of the movie, so she decided to go home after work. She read the same sentence over a few times without noticing until the ringing of the phone brought her out of her trance. She hesitated before picking it up, praying it wasn't a message she would regret.

" Hello, may I speak to Lucy Camden?" the voice on the other line said with no emotion.

" Speaking," Lucy replied, as her breathing shallowed.

" I'm sorry, but there has been an accident," the voice stated.

" No," Lucy choked, dropping the phone.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat as she was woken up by the ringing of the phone. It took her a few seconds to notice she had just been dreaming. Remembering the dream, she just stared at the phone and let it ring. She finally, slowly picked up the phone.

"Hello," she answered, her voice slightly shaking.

" Hey Luce," Kevin's voice answered back.

Lucy gave out a sigh of relief after hearing his voice.

"What's up? Why are you guys so late?", she questioned.

" The rain looked pretty bad, so we decided not to leave and wait for it to let up. We're watching another movie, I'll call you when it's done," Kevin said.

" Ok, talk to you later," Lucy said before hanging the phone up.

She sat back down on the couch and closed her eyes, wondering how much different her life had gotten since she had moved. She owed it all to Kevin, once again he had rescued her when she had started stripping and she was thankful for him.

The next day was a colder one. Kevin and Lucy were both off, so they decided to take the kids to a hiking trail on a small mountain. They brought snacks and had a fun day in the outdoors. Soon fall would be there and Dylan would be starting school.

They were on their way home from the hiking trails, when they got stuck in a big line of traffic. After waiting 20 minutes they were able to finally move ahead. About to turn off to go to their apartment building, they noticed that the street was blocked. When they looked into the sky they had a feeling they knew why. Black smoke was spreading across the sky. Kevin pulled over and told them to wait in the car, he was going to find out how long they would have to wait until they could go back home.

After about ten minutes Kevin returned, a worried look on his face. He got in the car and sat there for a moment, just staring ahead.

"Well?.." Lucy questioned him, waiting for any kind of answer.

Kevin took a deep breath.

"It's our building that's on fire. A room two doors down from us caught fire earlier this afternoon. It spread quickly. Three floors are pretty much ruined now. Our apartment being in that range." Kevin finished, a blank stare on his face.

Lucy sunk back in her seat as the information sunk in.

Maddy and Dylan stared at the adults, worry over their face, not sure exactly what was happening.

"What are we going to do?" Lucy said quietly.

" We'll figure something out. Ben is on duty, I didn't get to talk to him because he was at the south side of the building watering it down. Another fire fighter told me that in two days they are going to go into the burnt apartments and check if anything is still useable. For our apartment I doubt there will be much if anything," Kevin explained to Lucy.

Tears started to form in Maddy's eyes.

"Are all my toys gone?" she cried.

No answer came, as everyone knew already knew it, but still having some hope that it wasn't true.

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	16. Coping with Stress

**Here's another chapter. Hope you like it:)**

The next few days following were rainy and depressing, which matched the feelings of everyone. Lucy, the kids and Kevin moved into the Camdens, which was to be temporary. Dylan and Maddy were currently sharing Simon's old room. Lucy had bunked with Ruthie in the attic, and Kevin was given the garage apartment, as he offered to pay rent. All of their possessions had been burnt as to be unrepairable. The Camden's offered clothes and any other items that could be of use to Kevin, Lucy and the kids. Stress started to become an average for Lucy. Her temper had shortened and the kids could tell which days were days to avoid her as much as possible. She worked as many shifts as possible and hadn't been eating much.

One particular day Lucy was overly stressed. She had gotten home from work and barely said more than two words. Everyone noticed at dinner when all she ate was a bit of salad and a glass of water. She excused herself far earlier than anyone else and went upstairs. Kevin became worried and decided he needed to have a heart to heart talk with her. After shoveling down his meal and excusing himself he proceeded upstairs. The bathroom door was open, meaning she was upstairs in the room her and Ruthie were currently sharing.

Kevin rounded the corner into the room and after staring an extra few seconds to clarify what he saw, in a way he wasn't so sure he wanted to have walked in at that moment. Lucy sat on her bed, bent over a small tray of a white powdery substance, which was to no doubt in Kevin's mind, cocaine. Lucy looked up the second Kevin had walked in, tears in the corners of her eyes which had dark circles under them. Kevin, at a loss for words, just stared at Lucy. Judging by the amount of cocaine on the tray, Lucy hadn't taken any yet. Kevin finally found his voice.

" What are you doing?", Kevin said with the most hurt and anger in his voice.

Lucy stared at the ground for a while before answering. "I d-don't know," she choked.

" What do you mean you don't know? To me it looks like you're sitting on your bed, sniffing cocaine." Kevin said, almost ready to scream. He walked over to Ruthie's bed that faced Lucy's.

Lucy set the tray down on the night stand and lay back onto the back, trying to hold back the big lump that was forming in her throat.

" I never touched any," she said after a moment.

"Maybe not this time. How long has this been going on for? I know you were stressed, but so am I and I'm not dealing with it this way," Kevin said, regretting what he said the second it left his mouth.

" So you think I'm a druggie now do you?" Lucy said insulted as she sat up.

" I didn't mean that." Kevin's voice softened.

" Well that's clearly what you just meant. And to answer your question it hasn't been going on. I haven't done it yet and haven't before now either."

" How am I supposed to believe that if you haven't been telling the truth before." Kevin said, this time choosing his words a bit more carefully.

" I didn't lie before?" Lucy said, a bit confused.

" It was a lie by omission. You never told me when you were stripping. And you haven't been talking to me lately at all either about all this stress you've been under. You know you can always talk to me. I don't want you to feel like you have to resort to drugs to feel better. I'm always here and always willing to help how I can."

" I know," Lucy said quietly. " But it's not something you can really help with, it's a feeling I've been having inside of me."

Kevin thought about what she had said, thinking possibly she had been thinking of suicide.

" What feeling have you had inside you?" Kevin questioned.

" I don't know exactly what to call it. Being let down I guess. Feeling like a failure. Every time something starts working out, something bad always happens." Lucy said, wiping away a few tears that were about to fall down her cheek.

" You've been working as hard as you can to get your life back together. These things happen to everyone. I'm here to help you, your family is here to help you. You're not alone." Kevin said encouragingly.

" You're right this is stupid," Lucy said slightly laughing as she wiped away more tears.

"Here take this and get rid of it. I never want to see it again," Lucy said handing Kevin the cocaine.

"I don't think it would look good if anyone saw me carrying this, do you have anything I can put it in?" Kevin said.

"Oh, of course." Lucy said, emptying a bottle of nail polish out of a brown paper bag and handing it to Kevin.

" Why don't we go get the kids and go out for some ice cream. My treat," Kevin said, grabbing Lucy's hand.

" Sounds good," she smiled back.

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	17. Someone Call the Doctor

**Please R&R, I really appreciate the reviews they make writing so much easier:)**

Lucy and Kevin proceeded down the staircase into the kitchen to find Annie and Ruthie working on dishes and cleaning up from dinner.

"We're just going to go out for some ice cream," Lucy told Annie as she grabbed her coat from the hook beside the back door.

"Alright, the kids are in the living room," Annie smiled back, a bit suspicious at Lucy's sudden happiness.

Lucy and Kevin looked into the living room to find the twins, Dylan and Maddy watching a cartoon on tv.

"Hey guys we're going to get some ice cream. Who wants to come?" Lucy questioned all the kids, expecting to hear a big chorus of "me me me!".

Sam, David and Dylan all jumped up and ran to get their coats, yelling "I want to" once they were already halfway to the kitchen. Maddy stayed there on the couch.

" You don't want to come?" Lucy said, kneeling down beside her daughter who was lying down on the couch.

Maddy shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Her cheeks were red and she looked tired.

"You ok hun?" Lucy questioned her.

She shook her head yet again. " Tummy feels yucky and I'm hot," Maddy said.

Lucy put her hand on Maddy's forehead to find it quite hot.

"She's burning up," Lucy said to Kevin.

The twins and Dylan arrived back in the living room, with Annie following behind them, a basket full of folded up clothes ready for the bedrooms upstairs.

"What's going on?" Annie questioned, as most Camden's do when they enter a room.

"Maddy's got a fever and she isn't feeling good. I'll pass on ice cream, you guys go." Lucy said as she lifted Maddy off of the couch.

" No, no. You go, I'll take care of Maddy," Annie offered, setting down her basket.

"You sure mom?"Lucy asked Annie.

" Of course I'm sure, go out have some fun," Annie said waving her hand.

Lucy set Maddy back down on the couch and then gave her a kiss, telling her they would be back in a bit.

Kevin and Lucy got the three boys in the car and set off for the local Dairy Shack. On arrival they got in line, waiting to be served. When Kevin reached the cashier he ordered 5 banana splits. They decided to sit down at a table to enjoy their treats.

They arrived back at the Camden home an hour later. Surprised not to find someone walking by, the house seemed empty. Maddy had been moved off of the couch and no one was vacating the living room. They entered the kitchen to find it suspiciously empty too.

" Where do you think everyone is?" Kevin said, breaking the silence.

" Maybe mom is upstairs with Maddy, but I don't know about everyone else.

Lucy noticed a note on the kitchen counter which had Annie's hand writing on it. Lucy picked up the note and read it over, her eyes becoming big.

" What's wrong?" Kevin asked Lucy, noticing the concern run over her face.

" Mom said they had to take Maddy to the hospital. Her temperature was getting dangerously high. She said we better come right away. Come on let's go!" Lucy said, turning around for the front door again. Everyone followed and hopped back into Kevin's SUV.

When they got to the hospital Lucy jumped out of the vehicle and hurried for the front doors, Kevin and the kids at her heels. Reaching the front desk she requested the room in which her daughter, Madison Camden, was. The receptionist's fingers flew over the keys and seconds later she announced "room 304". The five rushed over to the nearest elevator. When the doors finally opened Lucy pressed 3 and waited as patiently as possible to reach the floor. When the doors flung open on floor three Lucy practically jumped out of the elevator.

They finally found room 304. Lucy took a deep breath before entering the room. Inside there was a single bed, the room was smaller than others. Annie was sitting next to the bed, Eric on the other side. In the bed lay Maddy. Her eyes were closed, but fluttered open when she heard everyone come in the room. Lucy went over to the bed and grabbed Maddy's hands. Even they were hot. When she kissed her on the forehead it felt as though she could burn her lips if she left them there any longer.

"What happened? Is she ok?" Lucy asked.

" Her fever just kept getting higher and then I decided it was just too high and I knew I should take her in. The nurses just got through with her and the doctor should be in any minute," Annie said, worry across her face.

" Boys, why don't you go see Ruthie and Simon down the hall in the lounge. They're watching tv." Eric suggested.

"Ok," Sam said, speaking for all of them as they followed him out of the room.

Annie stood up, letting Lucy take her seat beside the bed. Lucy held Maddy's hand, talking to her, telling her everything was going to be ok. Five minutes later a male doctor, with graying hair and glasses came in. He frowned as he stared down at the clipboard he was given for Maddy. When he spoke he was not mean at all though and his frown disappeared.

" Well let's see here, came in with a high fever. A Madison Camden. I'm guessing that must be you in the bed. I'm Dr. Emerson," he said smiling and winking at her.

He walked over to the bed.

" I'm just going to check your temperature to see if it's changed since the nurse took it," he informed Maddy as well as the rest of the family. After checking her temperature and noticing that it had risen 3 degrees in the short 20 minutes since the nurse had taken it, he scribbled something on the clipboard. He then checked her heartbeat and looked in her throat and ears.

" Well there seems to be no infection in her throat or ears. No sign of the flu or a cold, but they may be slow in progressing. I'm going to go grab some antibiotics for starters to try and bring this fever down. Be right back," Dr. Emerson said before exiting the room. The Camdens were left worried and still knowing nothing about Maddy.

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	18. Light at the End of the Tunnel

**Sorry for all the sadness, I promise it will get better really soon. Please read and review:)**

A single tear rolled down Lucy's cheek as she sat facing a desk in a white office. The desk had a stack of papers on it, a computer and picture frames of children and adults, along with other little objects a doctor would need at his desk.

A minute later a man in a white coat entered the room and walked over to the desk, sitting in the chair behind it.

" Good morning Lucy," the doctor said, reaching over his desk to shake her hand.

" Good morning," Lucy replied, her voice quivering.

" Now after these multiple tests I have come to a conclusion on how to fix your daughters kidneys," the doctor said.

" How?" Lucy said.

" We need to operate. It's a simple procedure, and after it I am sure she will be fine with no future problems."

" Really? How soon can you do it?" Lucy said, a bit relieved that they had found a solution.

" Well I can be ready in 36 hours, but there is a problem," the doctor said, his face turning serious.

" A problem?" Lucy said, fighting the lump that was rising in her throat.

" Yes, to do the operation we will need to give her a blood transfusion, seeing as her blood level is very low from losing a lot while throwing it up in the past few days. We don't want to do the operation unless she has a blood transfusion, because she could lose blood during the operation and at this moment we can't afford for her to lose any blood," the doctor explained.

" Oh, if a blood transfusion is absolutely necessary then I guess we should get one done as soon as possible," Lucy said.

" I agree, but she has a rare blood type and we have none of it. I need to know if anyone in your family has the same type and if they are willing to get blood taken," Dr. Fields said.

" Well I don't have the same type, I'll have to ask everyone else in my family," Lucy said.

" Alright, I want you to call me at this number and tell me as soon as you find someone," Dr. Fields said, scribbling down the number she was to call him at.

Lucy put the paper into her purse, then said good-bye to Dr. Fields, as their meeting ended.

She wanted to spend time with Maddy, but needed to talk to everyone at home, so she only stopped in for a quick visit until Maddy fell asleep. As soon as she got home she rushed into the kitchen, knowing that is where Annie would be preparing dinner. Just as she predicted Annie was at the stove stirring a bubbling pot. Annie turned around when she heard her daughter enter the kitchen.

" How was the meeting?" Annie asked immediately.

Lucy explained to her about the operation and blood transfusion.

" I'm really sorry Luce, I don't have that blood type. Your father or brothers and sisters do not either, Maddy's is rare," Annie said, tears brimming at her eyes.

Lucy walked over to the table and sank into a chair. She cried for a bit and Annie hugged her.

Lucy explained everything to everyone at dinner, except for Kevin who was at work. He returned later that night. Lucy brought him out onto the porch to tell him about the meeting. After explaining to him everything she was ready to cry onto his shoulder. Before she had a chance to he spoke.

" Luce, I have the same blood type! I'll do it," Kevin practically yelled.

Lucy's eyes got big and her mouth opened.

" Seriously! Kevin you don't know how much this means to me," she said, now not being able to cry, this time for happiness.

" When can we get it done?" Kevin questioned.

" I'm not sure yet. Dr. Fields told me to call him as soon as I had found someone with the matching blood type. He said during the meeting that he could do the operation in 36 hours but he didn't have blood, so I'm assuming pretty soon," Lucy replied.

" Call him now then, we need to get this done as soon as possible, for Maddy's sake. She's suffered enough," Kevin said, putting his fingers between Lucy's.

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	19. Thank you God

**Sorry it's kinda short, but please R&R:)**

48 hours later Kevin had been drained of the blood they needed and they had put it into Maddy. T he surgery was to start in an hour. The doctors were prepping the room and Lucy was spending the time left with Maddy. Although the doctors assumed the surgery would go fine, there was always any risk in a surgery. The Camdens all said their goodbyes and now Lucy was left with Maddy. She gave her one last long kiss and told Maddy she loved her, before the doctors wheeled her off.

2 long hours passed before they got their first update. Maddy was doing fine. 2 hours later another update came. Maddy was still doing fine. Finally 3 hours after that the surgery was over. Maddy was doing great and was going to be brought into recovery. She was still out cold from the drugs used, so all Lucy could do was talk to her and hold her hand and kiss her.

Lucy told all the Camdens to go home and that she would be sleeping at the hospital. She hugged everyone and went to give Kevin a goodnight kiss.

" I'll see you tomorrow," Lucy said, smiling at him.

"What do you mean, I'm staying here with you and Maddy," Kevin said, smiling back.

" Awh Kevin, thanks for the offer but you don't have to," Lucy said.

" I know I don't have to, but I want to. I want to be here with you when she wakes up," Kevin said.

" Alright, I'll get the nurse to bring in an extra cot, " Lucy said, giving him another kiss.

" I can sleep in the chair, it's fine," Kevin said.

Lucy and Kevin played cards for an hour until Maddy's eyes fluttered open. They didn't notice she was awake until she called for Lucy in a hoarse voice. Lucy practically flew to her side. After asking Maddy if she was ok about 5 times, Lucy kissed her forehead. Kevin decided to leave Lucy alone with Maddy for a few minutes.

Ten minutes later he returned with a drink for Lucy in one hand and a light pink furry teddy bear with a balloon tied to it in the other hand. Kevin handed Lucy the drink and placed the teddy bear beside Maddy on the bed. Her eyes got big and a smile crept over her face.

" I was really happy that you were such a big girl for the surgery, I thought you needed something to keep you company while you're sleeping, " Kevin said, as Maddy snuggled the teddy bear into her side. Lucy and Kevin told Maddy a story to get her to fall asleep, then Lucy got into the cot and Kevin relaxed into the chair.

Before falling into a deep sleep Lucy looked up and thanked god under her breath.

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